What Happens When We Grow? The Art and Craft of Leadership The Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley Mass Bay District of UU Congregations
Assumptions Community is created whether or not you know the people around you Growth happens when not growth happens if Constant process, not a destination Resisting change saps energy; growth brings energy
Personal Transformation Place of Growth Place of Comfort Openness to Change Desire to go deeper Focus on others grows the self
Personal Challenges Not my church anymore Awareness of change can be uncomfortable Awareness of conflicts emerge Different things required of us
Stages of Transition Endings (something has to be let go of) Neutral zone (discomfort, disenchantment, dis-ease) Beginnings (something not really imagined before) William Bridges
Exercise What do I want for myself? What do I want for my congregation? Is there a difference between these two?
Congregational Change Different size demands different form; growth is not incremental Steps not ramps Cyclical nature of change Formal & Informal relationships change Key structures and processes shift Alice Mann, The In-Between Church
Size Categories - Family Size Up to 50 people average attendance One cell organism Minister as chaplain to family Leadership is with the matriarchs and patriarchs One primary ministry Arlin Rothauge, Sizing Up a Congregation for New Ministry
Size Categories - Pastoral 50-150 in average attendance Multi-cell organization Organize around the person and role of minister Two or three strong ministries
Size Categories - Program 150-350 in attendance Known for quality and variety of programs Different ages and interest groups requiring different programs and additional staff More administration required of Minister
Size Categories - Corporate Significant institutional presence in community Sizable staff with specialized professional skills Something for everyone Minister as key symbolic presence offering unifying vision and purpose
Size Transition N-Curve Organism Organization Pastor- Centered Pastoral Corporate Group- Centered Family Program
Which direction are you headed? From glory days of past to accepting realities of present? From Cheers to St. Elsewhere From barely getting by to new vision and potential From single cell to multi-cell From too many cells to centralization
Exercise Where is your congregation in this?
Plateaus or Cliffs? Revolving around the same number despite fluctuations Everything seems to be changed at once We ve always done it this way Making it up as we go along
The Plateau Drain Nothing ever really stays the same Denying the changes takes more energy than embracing them Avoiding the conflict growth brings Trying to keep everyone happy
New Members Need Not Apply Passive barriers No signs No response No room Insider language
Three Reasons for Outreach Sense of mission in the world Interested in gaining new members no specific mission or way to do so Interested in bringing in others to help share the load so we can take care of ourselves
Quality or Quantity? Paradox: those that focus outward have the fullest internal life Quality building can work if it moves from self-focus to disciplined assessment and action
Quality Characteristics Empowering Style of Pastoral Leadership Gift-oriented lay ministy Passionate spirituality Functional structures Inspiring worship Small groups relating faith to life Loving relationships Need-oriented outreach (about them, not us)
Inside Out Internal Assessment (in terms of quality characteristics) Who have we been Who are we Who could we be? External Assessment What are the changes in the surrounding community? What are the needs of the surrounding community?
Exercise Which of these quality characteristics do we need to address?
Culture Shifts From Order to Chaos From the Atom to the Bit From One Truth to Many Truths From the War Out There to the War Right Here
Culture Shifts cont d From the Traditional Family to the Multifamily From the Job to the Task From One Way to Diversity From Religion to Spirituality From the Modern to the Postmodern Church
Multi-generational Church Church Elders: Everything is a War, people do their duty. Baby Boomers: Everything is a Movement, everyone is involved in spontaneous work. The Youngers: Everything is a Store, things should be excellent and prepared. The Multi-taskers: Everything is complex but simplifiable, looking for connection beyond the technology.
Bridging the Gaps Different understanding of responsibilities of membership Not just an attitude; a worldview Values are not easily negotiated Multi-modal church is scary, but healthy If we didn t have new generations we would have no future If we didn t have older generations we wouldn t have any tradition Gil Rendle, The Mutigenerational Church
Implications for Minister What size church does the minister want to serve? Able to serve? If growing, minister needs to start acting like the minister of the next size Projection screens: minister of congregation; congregation of minister Minister often takes the brunt of generational battles
Implications for Staff Similar as for minister, but more specific to role Creating a significant new program without staff support will eventually kill the program Understaffing to save money will decline the membership
Staffing for Growth Have to increase staff without full current support Rule of thumb: 1 full time program staff per 100 members (not including music, custodial or secretarial) If you have 1/2 salary in hand you have enough to begin Build it and they will come
Implications for Structure Moving from cohesion and representation to communication and trust From commitment of time and inclusion of all to action and less redundancy Accepting difference rather than pathologizing difficult people Creating opportunities for dialogue rather than positional encounters
Implications for Leadership Leaders are often scape-goats for discomfort Expected to provide clear and unifying vision Leaders live and work in the middle - trying to make everyone happy shuttle diplomacy
What s a Leader to Do? Move to the balcony Work descriptively - speak to interests and values rather than positions Seek common space Install civility
Creating Covenantal Community Covenants that are made to be broken Generosity when there is cost Trust when there is risk Cultivating curiosity Holding a learning space
The Congregation of the Future Claiming a unique mission Complaints are normative, comfort with disagreement is essential Moving from Robert s Rules to discernment and continual learning Learn from new cultural watersheds rather than waiting for the return of the past